'Ghost Hunters' film episode at Ogdensburg's Claire House

Mar. 17—OGDENSBURG — A remodeled Franklin Street manor, once a Catholic rectory and convent that is believed by its current owners to be haunted, will be featured on the Travel Channel's "Ghost Hunters" in May.

The large stone manor at 709 Franklin St., dubbed the Claire House by owners Harold J. and Rachel L. Kench, will be the focus of the Ghost Hunters television show premiering at 9 p.m. May 25, on the Travel Channel and streaming on Discovery+.

The episode is the season finale titled "Diocese of the Dead." "Ghost Hunters," a paranormal and reality television series, is in its 15th season, first airing in 2004.

The description of the episode reads "TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) is called to Ogdensburg, New York, to investigate a large family home. Once a church rectory, this imposing limestone manor is filled with terrifying entities that tie back to its religious beginnings. Alongside Jason's son, Austin Hawes, and guest investigator Dustin Pari, TAPS hope to calm the family's fear of being in their house."

Mr. Kench posted the news to the "Ogdensburg History" Facebook page Thursday. As of Friday morning, the post had received 576 likes, 148 comments and 840 shares.

"OK, we're finally able to make a post about our episode of -GhostHunters! Ogdensburg's own Claire House will be featured in the season finale of Ghost Hunters. We were floored at some of the things the team discovered," Mr. Kench wrote.

The Claire House, built in 1884, has been used for a variety of purposes by the Diocese of Ogdensburg. It had been the rectory for St. Mary's Cathedral, offices for Catholic Charities and most recently, it was a convent housing the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart.

More than 134 years after it was built, the Kenches have remodeled the 10,000-square-foot manor that boasts three levels and 38 rooms, nine of them bathrooms. The couple, who are both teachers at East Islip High School in Long Island, purchased the manor in 2019. Mr. Kench is an Ogdensburg native.

In an interview last summer, the Kenches told of strange occurrences since taking over the property.

When the couple first stayed in the manor in July 2019, they said that strange things happened and they felt they were not alone. In fact, Mrs. Kench said that she wasn't sure if she could actually live there.

"This house was so heavy and haunted," Mrs. Kench said. "It got to a point, and this was months and months later, I was at a point where I thought we might have to sell this house, I didn't think we could stay here."

Mr. Kench agrees.

"You could feel it, there was all sorts of strange stuff going on," he said.

It was one of the reasons they installed bells outside some of the rooms to keep the evil spirits away. The Kenches routinely ring them before they enter a room.

They also had the residence blessed by the Rev. Joseph Morgan from St. Mary's Cathedral and burned a sage wrap, made by a "hippie" friend, to help ward off the ghosts.

"It worked, I think," Mrs. Kench said.

They also have photographs of what they believe are ghosts that are living in the residence. One depicts an older man with a white beard and top hat and another is of a "skeleton-faced" woman and a child. They were taken when the Kenches were not around.

The first ghost picture, of the man, originated in what they call the Bishop Conroy Suite. Joseph H. Conroy, the Diocese of Ogdensburg's third bishop and a Roman count, was the rector at St. Mary's Cathedral when the manor was built and the Kenches felt he deserved to be honored with a suite.

Mr. Kench had asked his sister to take a photo of contractors removing several trees on the property.

"So she did and Rachel posted it on her Instagram and weeks later one of our friends said, 'Hey, do you know there's a guy in the window?'" Mr. Kench said. "I look at the picture and I still don't see a guy in the window right. Weeks go by and I look at the picture and boom, I can't not see the guy now."

Some people see it, others don't.

The Kenches believe that the man in the photo is Bishop Conroy.

They also believe that there are ghosts of those who had been buried below the original St. Mary's Cathedral next door, which includes several bishops and others.

Some folks have been spooked by the manor. A worker of a contractor refused to enter until his boss arrived and another refused to work in the manor at all.